Shoreline Church Online: Not My Problem

Devotional

Day 1: Moving Beyond the Ledger of Fairness and Comparison

We often navigate our relationships with a mental ledger, keeping track of who has worked harder and who has stayed faithful. When we focus on what is "fair," we inadvertently turn love into a transaction rather than a gift. This mindset makes the joy of others feel like an offense to our own sacrifices. By comparing our performance to the failures of those around us, we risk losing the very compassion that defines our faith. True peace comes when we stop measuring our worth by how much better we have behaved than someone else. [42:06]

“But he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’” (Luke 15:29-30)

Reflection: When you look at a difficult relationship in your life, where do you find yourself keeping a "scorecard" of your own obedience versus their failures?

Day 2: Trusting God’s Heart When Grace Feels Unfair

It is human nature to want a contract that guarantees we get exactly what we deserve for our labor. However, the kingdom of God operates on a different economy where the last are paid first and the latecomers receive the same grace as the lifelong workers. We may feel slighted when God is generous to those who haven't "borne the burden" of the day. Yet, if we insist on strict justice, we might find that we don't actually like the results when applied to our own lives. Embracing God's generosity means celebrating His goodness even when it doesn't fit our definition of fairness. [52:33]

“But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’” (Matthew 20:13-15)

Reflection: Is there someone in your life whose recent "blessing" or "second chance" feels undeserved to you, and how might God be inviting you to see His heart for them instead?

Day 3: Relinquishing the Right to Be Right for Reconciliation

In many strained families, the greatest barrier to restoration is the desire to be acknowledged as the "right" party. You can choose to be right, or you can choose to have a relationship, but it is often impossible to hold onto both simultaneously. Entering the "party" of reconciliation requires a specific ticket: the willingness to give up your grievances. While boundaries are necessary, they should not become more important than the people God has placed in your life. Choosing the relationship means stopping the constant rehearsal of how you were wronged. [57:35]

“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’” (Luke 15:31-32)

Reflection: What is one specific grievance you have been "rehearsing" in your mind that is currently acting as a barrier to reconnecting with a family member or friend?

Day 4: Valuing Presence and Proximity Over Perfect Performance

Our Heavenly Father cares far more about our proximity to Him than He does about our perfect performance. In the story of the two sons, the father’s joy was not based on the younger son’s improved behavior, but simply on the fact that he was home. We often struggle with this because we define ourselves by our obedience rather than our relationship with the Father. When we focus on performance, we become like the older brother who was physically present but spiritually distant from his father’s heart. God invites us to move closer to Him and to others, regardless of the messiness of the journey. [58:52]

“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)

Reflection: In your walk with God, do you find yourself more focused on "slaving away" in obedience or on simply being in His presence?

Day 5: Protecting Your Soul From the Poison of Bitterness

Bitterness is a heavy burden that often stems from taking up offenses, especially those committed against people we love. While it feels natural to be angry on behalf of another, carrying a "third-party offense" can quickly poison your own spiritual life. Your primary responsibility is not to ensure that others face consequences, but to guard your own heart from resentment. Justice belongs to God, while faithfulness and the pursuit of peace are the tasks assigned to us. By releasing the need for immediate justice, you create space for God to work in ways you cannot control. [01:04:53]

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” (Hebrews 12:14-15)

Reflection: Is there a "third-party offense"—a wrong done to someone else—that you have picked up and carried as your own, and how is it affecting your ability to show grace?

Sermon Summary

Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son is used here to expose how fairness and comparison can wreck family life and stifle gospel-shaped restoration. Opening with a wry marriage anecdote about a contest of “who asks forgiveness first,” the speaker moves quickly into the biblical text to press a sharper point: human instincts toward justice often masquerade as spiritual integrity. The older brother’s outrage at his wayward sibling reveals a ledger mentality—obedience counted as currency, compassion read as complicity, and grace perceived as theft. Through careful exegesis of Luke 15 and a second parable about vineyard laborers, a contrast emerges: God’s economy prizes proximity over performance and dispenses grace on a scale that outruns human notions of merit.

The older son’s refusal to celebrate exposes how comparison converts love into a transaction, making joy offensive and grace feel unjust. The vineyard story flips expectations by paying the last-hired first, forcing listeners to confront how easily pride and contractual thinking distort their relationship with God and others. Practical principles follow: one cannot accelerate another’s timeline of repentance, cannot shoulder another person’s consequences, and must resist rehearsing hurts that keep wounds open. Instead, responsibility lies in guarding the heart against bitterness, refusing to be defined by resentment, remaining in proximate relationship with Christ, and choosing relationship over the satisfaction of being right.

The preacher presses a sober, pastoral choice: one may cling to deservedness and walk away, or surrender a right to be right and enter the party of reconciliation. The father in the story models God’s posture—longing for proximity and rejoicing over return—so that faithfulness becomes stewardship of one’s own response, not the imposition of divine justice. The talk closes with concrete questions for groups and families, and a call to celebrate grace even when it feels unfair, trusting that justice ultimately belongs to God while faithfulness remains ours.

Key Takeaways

1. Grace transcends human notions of fairness When human justice becomes the measuring rod, generosity reads as injustice. God’s economy does not repay according to human merit but extends welcome that confounds expectations. Learning to rejoice when others receive unearned mercy is a discipline that loosens the grip of entitlement and opens space for relationship. [51:52]
2. Comparison corrodes the currency of love Counting obedience against another person converts affection into accountancy and turns compassion into perceived enabling. Comparison creates a false ledger that justifies distance and hardens the heart toward celebration. The older brother’s grievance shows how identity built on performance steals access to intimacy. [41:53]
3. Choose relationship over being right Clinging to the need to be vindicated often costs the very relationships one claims to protect. The “cost of admission” to reconciliation is the surrender of the right to be right; the refusal to surrender keeps one outside the family feast. This is a practical vocation: choose proximity and risk perceived injustice for the sake of restoration. [57:35]
4. Guard your heart from bitterness Bitterness functions like a slow poison that masquerades as righteous memory and just cause. It reframes wounds into identity and empowers third‑party victors to fossilize estrangement. Vigilant heart-keeping—refusing resentment to be the defining story—preserves soulspace for grace and for renewed connection. [64:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:40] - Opening & personal illustration
[29:42] - Marriage contest: forgiveness first
[33:48] - Fairness as a family lens
[36:06] - Introducing the older brother
[40:43] - The older brother’s complaint
[41:53] - Comparison becomes a false ledger
[45:18] - Vineyard parable: grace inverted
[51:52] - Owner’s reply and challenge
[57:35] - Relationship vs. being right
[62:18] - Practical responsibilities and cautions
[68:22] - Prayer and closing send-off

Sermon Clips

God looks for ways for the banished to not be banished. In other words, God doesn't God is not a God looking out there for reasons to exile people, to separate people. God is actually trying to find exile people and find a reason to reconcile them, to not keep them banished. And by by not letting your your resentment justify the distance, what you're doing is you're opening the door for them to come home, both physically and in your heart. [01:01:20] (29 seconds) #OpenDoorToReconciliation

And the problem with comparison, this is the first thing the brother does, is compare what he did with his younger brother. Comparison quietly turns love into a transaction. See, love is no longer Love is now when it's based on comparison, It's about what I do for you and what you do for me. And so part of the problem with comparison is the moment you compare, compassion feels enabling. [00:42:00] (25 seconds) #LoveNotTransaction

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Shoreline Church Online: Not My Problem - The Brother's Problem